Latest news with #LatitudeFestival
BBC News
23-05-2025
- BBC News
Latitude Festival steward had sex with child
A man has been found guilty of having sex with a 15-year-old girl while he was working as a steward at a music Stokes was a steward at the Latitude Festival in Suffolk in July 32-year-old, formerly of Burns Road in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, was found guilty of penetrative sexual activity with a girl aged between 13 and is due to be sentenced on 11 July at Ipswich Crown Court. Summing up the evidence heard across the trial, judge Nicola Talbot-Hadley said the victim described how she and a friend started speaking to teenager, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said they believed he was a security had been drinking alcohol, she said, and she told the defendant they were both 15. She claimed he provided them with more victim said the two had sex close to one of the music was arrested on 27 July 2022 and he said he lied in his first police interview - when he denied the sexual activity - because he was "scared".He eventually admitted the pair had sex, but claimed he thought she was older. Judge Talbot-Hadley said there was a "likely custodial starting point" for his he was convicted of one offence, he was found not guilty of rape, non-penetrative sexual activity of a girl and sexual wearing a checked suit in the dock, gasped as these not guilty verdicts were was released on bail and must report to a local police station where he was staying, which is in Wales. Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
Man accused of raping teen at Latitude Festival
The jury at the trial of a man accused of raping a teenager at a music festival have retired to consider their verdict. Alex Stokes, 32, of Burns Road, Wellingborough, denies raping or engaging in penetrative sexual activity with a 15-year-old girl and engaging in non-penetrative sexual activity and the sexual assault of another 15-year-old girl. Ipswich Crown Court heard that Mr Stokes had been working as a steward at the Latitude Festival in Suffolk in 2022. His defence barrister argued that whilst the defendant did have consensual sex with one of the girls, he did not believe she was 15. While summing up the evidence heard across the trial, Judge Nicola Talbot-Hadley said that one of the girls, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said she and a friend had been at the festival in July 2022 where they started speaking to Mr Stokes. The teenager said they believed Mr Stokes was a security guard. The girl said they had been drinking alcohol and told the defendant they were both 15, she said he provided them with more drinks. She said after kissing Mr Stokes he then asked her to sit on him and he penetrated her, she said it was in a public place and he told her not to get up or security would see and she would be kicked out of the festival. The court heard that whilst this was happening Mr Stokes had asked the girl to bring her friend closer, he is then alleged to have sexually assaulted the other teenager. Mr Stokes denied that incident happened with the second girl and said the girls asked him to guess their ages and he said 18 and 19. He said he was not corrected by them and was not told they were 15. He was arrested on 27 July 2022 and admits initially lying in his first police interview by saying he had not had sex with one of the girls, he said he lied because he was "scared". Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Yahoo
Man accused of raping teen at Latitude Festival
The jury at the trial of a man accused of raping a teenager at a music festival have retired to consider their verdict. Alex Stokes, 32, of Burns Road, Wellingborough, denies raping or engaging in penetrative sexual activity with a 15-year-old girl and engaging in non-penetrative sexual activity and the sexual assault of another 15-year-old girl. Ipswich Crown Court heard that Mr Stokes had been working as a steward at the Latitude Festival in Suffolk in 2022. His defence barrister argued that whilst the defendant did have consensual sex with one of the girls, he did not believe she was 15. While summing up the evidence heard across the trial, Judge Nicola Talbot-Hadley said that one of the girls, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said she and a friend had been at the festival in July 2022 where they started speaking to Mr Stokes. The teenager said they believed Mr Stokes was a security guard. The girl said they had been drinking alcohol and told the defendant they were both 15, she said he provided them with more drinks. She said after kissing Mr Stokes he then asked her to sit on him and he penetrated her, she said it was in a public place and he told her not to get up or security would see and she would be kicked out of the festival. The court heard that whilst this was happening Mr Stokes had asked the girl to bring her friend closer, he is then alleged to have sexually assaulted the other teenager. Mr Stokes denied that incident happened with the second girl and said the girls asked him to guess their ages and he said 18 and 19. He said he was not corrected by them and was not told they were 15. He was arrested on 27 July 2022 and admits initially lying in his first police interview by saying he had not had sex with one of the girls, he said he lied because he was "scared". Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
21-05-2025
- BBC News
Man accused of raping teen at Suffolk's Latitude festival
The jury at the trial of a man accused of raping a teenager at a music festival have retired to consider their verdict. Alex Stokes, 32, of Burns Road, Wellingborough, denies raping or engaging in penetrative sexual activity with a 15-year-old girl and engaging in non-penetrative sexual activity and the sexual assault of another 15-year-old. Ipswich Crown Court heard that Mr Stokes had been working as a steward at the Latitude Festival in Suffolk in 2022. His defence barrister argued that whilst the defendant did have consensual sex with one of the girls, he did not believe she was 15. Security guard While summing up the evidence heard across the trial, Judge Nicola Talbot-Hadley said that one of the girls, who cannot be named for legal reasons, said she and a friend had been at the festival in July 2022 where they started speaking to Mr Stokes. The teenager said they believed Mr Stokes was a security guard. The girl said they had been drinking alcohol and told the defendant they were both 15, she said he provided them with more drinks. She said after kissing Mr Stokes he then asked her to sit on him and he penetrated her, she said it was in a public place and he told her not to get up or security would see and she would be kicked out of the court heard that whilst this was happening Mr Stokes had asked the girl to bring her friend closer, he is then alleged to have sexually assaulted the other Stokes denied that incident happened with the second girl and said the girls asked him to guess their ages and he said 18 and 19. He said he was not corrected by them and was not told they were was first arrested on 27 July 2022 and admits initially lying in his first police interview by saying he had not had sex with one of the girls, he said he lied as he was "scared". Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Colchester musician will be gigging with former job advisor at Latitude
A singer will be performing at Latitude festival with her former job centre advisor, seven years after he told her not to give up on her Gage signed up for a meeting at Colchester Job Centre, aged 18, after she could not earn enough of a living through performing. She met advisor Wallace Rice, who happened to be a part-time musician with his band Monster Florence, and he told her to keep at it. Gage said: "[Other] people were trying to help me find corporate jobs and things in retail... who knows what path I would have gone down [if she had not met Rice]."The pair will perform together at Latitude festival in Suffolk this summer. 'No work' Gage, who went to school in Ipswich, is no stranger to big crowds, and she previously sang both the UK and US national anthems in front of millions at the O2 Arena when Floyd Mayweather fought Geordie Shore's Aaron 25 years old, she admitted her future might have looked different if she had been advised by somebody else."He ended up giving me so much advice about music, and what to do and where to turn to and how to keep going," she said. Normally used to seeing Rice's name on job centre appointment slips, Gage experienced déjà vu when she saw that familiar name written on a different later, they were put down to play at the same BBC Introducing stage at Henham Park, - a festival which usually draws a crowd of approximately 40,000."I was so excited," Gage said when she saw his name. "Also, it's so nice that we're both from Colchester and that we're both trying to put Colchester on the map."The pair will reunite and perform together at Latitude in July. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
